Optoelectronic components, for example, light-emitting diode components that emit white or different-colored light are known. It is further known to equip such components with optoelectronic semiconductor chips that generate electromagnetic radiation. By way of example, light-emitting diode chips that emit radiation in a specific wavelength range, for example, in the blue spectral range may be used here.
The optoelectronic semiconductor chip is usually arranged in a cavity of a housing, for instance of a plastic housing. The side walls of the cavity may be configured to reflect the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the optoelectronic semiconductor chip and thus to support a directional emission into a defined solid angle range.
To generate a wide emission spectrum, for example, a white light spectrum, optoelectronic components typically comprise converter elements. The latter are configured to convert radiation in a first wavelength range emitted by the optoelectronic semiconductor chip into radiation in a second wavelength range. For this purpose, generally conversion particles are embedded into a transparent potting material arranged in the cavity of the housing and may contain, for example, a polymer such as a silicone or an epoxy.
The conversion particles usually comprise a luminescent dye. The wavelength conversion is then realized by absorption of electromagnetic radiation having a first wavelength and the subsequent emission of radiation having a second, usually higher, wavelength. A plurality of different conversion particles that absorb and/or emit in different wavelength ranges may also be used.
The total spectrum of radiation emitted by the optoelectronic component is thus determined by the emission spectrum of the optoelectronic semiconductor chip itself, and by the number of the conversion particles used. In accordance with the color impression perceived by an observer, a color locus in a suitable color space may be assigned to the emitted spectrum.
Aging processes of the materials used in the construction of the optoelectronic component may lead to an alteration of the emission characteristic of the optoelectronic component over the lifetime of the component. The light intensity emitted for a given operating current typically decreases as the optoelectronic component increasingly ages. The lifetime of the component may then be defined as the operating period during which the emitted light intensity falls on average to, for example, 50% of the initial intensity.
Furthermore, aging of the optoelectronic component often leads to a change in the emitted electromagnetic spectrum and thus to a change in the color locus. Such a color locus shift is primarily undesired in applications requiring a color-stable emission such as, for example, in the backlighting of LCD screens. Heretofore, a color locus shift has primarily been counteracted by the use of materials whose optical properties change as little as possible during the operating period, for example, suitable silicones. Processing of these materials is often comparatively complex, which may cause high production costs and limit the producibility of miniaturized designs.
It could therefore be helpful to provide an improved optoelectronic component in which in particular the color locus of the emitted electromagnetic radiation remains as constant as possible over the lifetime of the optoelectronic component, which allows in particular the smallest possible designs and/or which in particular is particularly cost-effective to produce.